PilmerPR has supported our local universities (BYU, UVU, & UofU) by hiring dozens of interns over the years. We are so pleased to have helped launch many successful careers by teaching world-class public relations discipline and best practices.

Here are a couple of tips for new college PR students that you may not hear from the professor:

1) Think like an entrepreneur: How to leverage public relations to drive traffic to the sales funnel
2) Think ROI. Measure everything & be accountable
3) Learn quickly how to pitch media & you increase your paycheck. They don’t teach this well in college.
4) Get an internship fast; work for free if you must to build the resume
5) Find new ways to make Social Media drive measurable online brand management & referrals. We have discovered such technology & it opens doors for us because companies are scrambling to monetize social media and make it more than and “energy leak” for their organization.

What do you think?

The Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum (UVEF) inducted the Eyring Research Institute into its UVEF Hall of Fame, Thursday, at the UCCU Center at Utah Valley University. Inductees represent individuals and organizations with an enduring legacy of entrepreneurial excellence.

The Eyring Research Institute (ERI) was founded in 1972 by Carlyle Harmon with Dr. Ronald G. Hansen as President. The Institute did consulting work in various areas of contract research in cooperation with Brigham Young University. ERI spawned many high-tech spin-offs, including WordPerfect, Novell, and Dynix, as well as advancements in the military and communication arenas that have benefited the world. These breakthroughs created a whirlwind of innovation and entrepreneurial activity in Utah Valley affecting Utah for decades.

Dr. Ronald G. Hansen and Cleo Larene Harmon will attend tonight’s ceremony to receive the award on behalf of The Eyring Research Institute, with an introduction by Richard McDermott, the former VP of Finance for Eyring.

“Few organizations have done more than the Eyring Research Institute to bolster entrepreneurism and economic growth in the state,” said UVEF chairman Cary Snowden. “Millions of people have benefited, and billions of dollars in commerce are evidence of the Institute’s impact.”

Past UVEF Hall of Fame honorees include WordPerfect, Novell, Dr. Bill Pope, BYU Center for Entrepreneurship, Stephen R. Covey, and Harold R. Wing.

As a successful entrepreneur himself, PilmerPR founder John Pilmer understands the unique challenges of launching a business. He has been an active board member of the UVEF and the Commission for Economic Development of Orem (CEDO), helping entrepreneurs turn their ideas into scalable enterprises. Contact PilmerPR today to learn about our Lean Launch PR and Marketing package specifically for entrepreneurs.

PilmerPR is pleased to represent Brent Brown Toyota, a quality dealership that not only helps get people on the road, but helps children throughout the Utah Valley community. Brent Brown has made children’s education a top philanthropic priority throughout his years of business, which made Wednesday’s event very special for him.

Brent Brown Toyota participated in Toyota’s “100 Cars for Good” program – an initiative that started in March to award 100 cars to 100 non-profits in 100 days. The national public got to choose which charities received the cars, and they chose the local Boys & Girls’ Club of Utah County  to be among the recipients (the only Boys & Girls’ Club in the nation, and the only non-profit in Utah). Brent Brown handed them the keys to a new Toyota Sienna, and threw in an agreement to service the car for free if ever needed.

You can read more about the heart-warming event at the Deseret News and Daily Herald.

See this video by the Boys and Girls Club of Utah County that helped them win:

We at PilmerPR has make corporate social responsibility (CSR) a cornerstone of our business. Brent Brown Toyota is the latest client to exemplify that vision, joining a list that includes the Boy Scouts of America, Humless, ElectraTherm, US Synthetic and more. Contact PilmerPR today to learn how we can assist your CSR efforts.

I teach an Entrepreneur class at Utah Valley University. The work I’ve done with the Entrepreneurial program there and at BYU has been a highlight growth opportunity as a business owner – see PilmerPR, LLC.  So, I’m constantly on the watch for great class content. My class read the E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber. It’s a great self analysis tool for aspiring business people. Here’s a video of his that I really enjoyed.

Today, I had lunch at the Utah state capitol with the governor – well, Governor Herbert and a few hundred of his entrepreneur friends. There, the governor signed a proclamation naming September 27th as Utah Entrepreneur Day. Representing Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum (UVEF) along with this year’s chairman, Cary Snowden, we mingled with and broke bread with many of those stoking Utah’s entrepreneurial “fire in the belly.”

One speaker that caught my ear and with whom I spoke was 6th grader Jackson Argyle.  Jackson is a participant in the  Junior Achievement, an experiential program that educates and inspires young people to value free enterprise. As part of Jackson’s experience, he and other participants staffed JA City for a day.

In JA City students work as entrepreneurs and employees of various businesses.  They are paid for their labor and manage personal checking accounts. Throughout the day, students learn about time and money management skills as they work, bank, and shop as consumers.  Afterwards, students participate in debriefing lessons to ensure a well-rounded learning experience.  The effort is staffed by volunteer educators & business leaders.

Governor Herbert remarks at the day’s events were largely reminders of his platform for business friendly government. He stated that the government’s roles should largely be to “stay out of your way and out of your wallets.” These comments drew loud applause from attendees.

Utah’s who’s who of entrepreneurial success were highlighted as expected. Mozy was among these mentioned that is also a PilmerPR alum, with our company accelerating the company’s launch by garnering national press coverage.

FYI. Calling all entrepreneurs. UVEF  www.UVEF.net will host Paul Ahlstrom, author of Nail It Then Scale It, speaking in Provo Oct 13^th.

We have worked for a month to prepare our client Humless for the PR / News storm created by the first serious hurricane of 2011. As expected in August, Hurricane Irene created a news wave of tsunami proportions.  Below is that news release that was viewed by more than 1200 on Business Wire within the first 4 hours of posting. More than 600 postings of the news have proliferated online, 16 bloggers have passed on the news so far, and more than 100 folks have already viewed the fun video we assisted in creating. The sales team says the phones from the east coast are ringing.

[entire press release]

PROVO, Utah–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Humless, LLC (Humless.com) announced today its outreach to coastal states threatened by hurricanes. Ill winds blowing in the Atlantic bring into focus the precarious situation coastal residents face regarding emergency electricity. Humless is offering its Sentinel emergency power system with solar kit for use under the rigor of emergency storm relief efforts to the American Red Cross in coastal areas.

“Every year storms knock out power to large populations in hurricane alley,” said Glenn Jakins, CEO at Humless. “People along the coast need to know there is a safe, portable, renewable power system that doesn’t depend on gasoline, proven scarce after major storms.”

According to a study by the Propane Education and Research Council, half of residents in hurricane-prone states expect to lose electricity for more than 24 hours, but only 26 percent own a generator. Of those who own a generator, many wait too long to see if their generator will start or if they have enough fuel. Many don’t consider that their gas station will likely lose power when they do. See video.

To focus attention on the value of portable power for emergency planning, Humless is offering loaner systems to the American Red Cross for testing in the region. As with other first responders, Red Cross has mobile, reliable power needs to run computers, maintain satellite communications, and to keep teams connected during and after a disaster.

Fortunately, a new generation of Advanced Lithium+ emergency power supply does not rely on fossil fuels and can last for years without a recharge. Humless has produced the first all-in-one alternative-fuel power system to combine a 10-year shelf life and long-lasting charge time with less than 5 percent loss of stored power per year. It can be charged with solar panels, wind turbines, hand cranks, and virtually any available energy source, and still provide versatile output to power everything from a radio to computers to a refrigerator. Totally silent and portable, Humless is safe for indoor use, unlike fuel-burning generators.

GoodOil, US Synthetic, ElectaTherm, Tasco Engineering, Illumra, and now Humless. PilmerPR has a proven record of success with energy-related clients (particularly clean energy) going back to its early years.

We have working relationships with hundreds of magazines, newspapers, broadcast shows and blogs hungry for news about innovative energy products, and have placed our clients on Popular Science, Fox Business, TreeHugger and countless other news outlets across the country.

In addition to publicity, we also help our energy clients bring customers to the sales funnel through event/trade-show assistance, social media and expanded CSR efforts.

Don’t just take our word for it. Hear what many of PilmerPR’s energy clients say PilmerPR did for their business:

“PilmerPR did in [the first] three months what it would have taken us a year to accomplish.”

Glenn Jakins
CEO, Humless

“The press relations campaign driven by PilmerPR has brought new top tier investors and customers to our door. It has created a foundation for building major press momentum going forward. PilmerPR has assisted greatly in driving publicity that has moved the needle for our strategic objectives.”

Bill Olson
VP of Business Development, ElectraTherm

If you are in the CleanTech or Green Energy industry, and want a public relations firm with proven results, contact us today for a free 30-minute PR consultation.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) means making a positive difference in the world. Whether that means improving the environment, contributing to community causes, or using your expertise to help those in the greatest need, every company should leave the world better than they found it.

On August 19, World Humanitarian Day, two PilmerPR clients highlighted their efforts to do just that.

Humless, founded by South African immigrant Glenn Jakins, announced its “Light the Night” initiative,  focused on creating affordable clean power systems specifically for NGOs in places that do not have electricity. They are already partnering with Safe Mothers Safe Babies in Uganda and We Care Solar in Nigeria. Both of them help rural medical clinics that do not have any electricity for lighting or medical equipment. See their press release for more information, and watch this video about how their custom units are already making a difference.

Humless also spent the day at Utah County’s Food and Care Coalition, serving food to hungry citizens in Provo. They understand that while they can make a huge difference in developing countries, true humanitarianism starts at home.

PilmerPR’s other client, Timpanogos Hearing & Balance, announced “Hearing for Christmas,” a program that collects lightly-used hearing aids and other equipment to donate to underserved Utah residents. Doctor of Audiology Layne Garrett, Au.D. will also make his fourth trip to Ghana to provide free hearing exams at a school for the hearing impared. Local residents may also donate their used hearing aids for those children. You can also get more information from their press release, and this video of Dr. Garrett and his wife describing their efforts.

PilmerPR is proud to assist companies that step beyond expectations to touch lives around them. If your business is socially responsible, or wants to be more socially responsible, contact PilmerPR today for a free 30-minute consultation.

The master of YouTube (500 million views) guerrilla public relations came to town today.

At Thanksgiving Point today, the crowd was wall to wall (220+) to seek connection and instruction on entrepreneurial ventures. With the promise of prizes the tweet-fest began, smart phones flashing in the sunlight streaming in The Garden Room’s panoramic panes. After welcome messages by event sponsors UTC, UVEF, and Wayne Brown Institute, Tom Dickson of BlendTec “Will It Blend” fame took the stage. He did not disappoint.

Tom first shocked some in the audience, revealing his ADHD and dyslexic and claiming theme as a entrepreneur’s “blessing.” He then regaled the entrepreneurs with stories of his career, starting with his early jobs working for others in product development. He shared his key role in the development of patches for motion sickness, as well as a highly prescribed IUD. One of his early entrepreneurial ventures was in the food storage industry. He accidently got the idea for a home electric wheat grinder when his vacuum cleaner ground wheat as he vacuumed it from a mess he made on the floor. From that he produced his first electric wheat grinder which sold 43,000 units under the Magic Mill label.

Tom admits marketing has always been his weakness and he has sought partnerships over the years to make up the gap. Tough, and not always wise decisions including the sale of  his wheat grinder company and subsequent lawsuits brought Tom’s adventure to its knees. He discussed candidly the legal challenges to his patents. He says he has learned to “smile” through these problems.

Post wheat grinder, Tom took the 28,000 RPM motor used therein and decided to make a blender. Jamba Juice came calling when they caught wind of Tom’s powerful blender. He made a deal to take five cents for every smoothie blended using his blender. A roller coaster relationship with various large customers ensued. Tom continued making improvements to his innovative design. Continued patent defense regularly strained company coffers until this summers $24 million judgment against Vitamix found in favor of Blendtec…and the people rejoiced!

Tom continues to innovate. His new Twister Jar blends nut butter in under a minute. He predicts this new innovation will soon be seen in smoothie shops near you.

Tom wrapped up his fascinating entrepreneurial adventure by blending a rake, perfected on the Jay Leno Show, in his BlendTec blender. “Will It Blend?” Yes

Tom Dickson blends rake for UVEF luncheon

This past weekend I stopped by Larry H Miller Chevrolet in Provo, Utah. I thought it time for this green tech guy to see what the hype was about with the Chevy Volt electric vehicle. So, I bravely climbed the dealer showroom stairs, flanked by salespeople looking more like sharks circling a life raft. I stated my intention. “I’m here to check out the Volt.” My jaw dropped slightly with the reply, “that’s the electric one, right?”

Yow! I thought. Didn’t you watch the video of eco-friendly President Obama driving the Volt for a cool 20 feet off the factory line? “Yea, the electric one,” I said, somewhat unimpressed. The young salesman trotted off, bringing back a more seasoned young salesman, as I stood by the 16mpg (city) Camaro, admiring it’s craftsmanship, though not its EPA rating.

“I’m looking for the Chevy Volt,” I re-stated to the next victim of my evergreen inquiry.

“Well,”  he said, smiling broadly. “We don’t have one. You’ll need to talk to my sales manager.” Woah! I thought. Already handing me off  to the sales manager.  2 minutes and 2 clueless salespersons later, I was before the slightly elevated and expansive sales manager’s desk, which was bristling with computer monitors and other technology. The mighty man was flanked by 2 enforcers, I suppose, and I now felt like Dorothy brought before the might Oz.  The salesperson approach the divine desk. “This guy is interested in seeing a Volt.”

The sales manager barely looked up from his monitor where he seemed engrossed in some highly important work–I wasn’t it. “Well, the Volt is really a Halo product.” That’s what he said. Now, marketing geeks know a halo product is a limited run product to show off future technology that is so cool, it reflects positively on all company products. In other words, you’ll feel better about driving that cool Camaro, although it’s a gas hog.

I got the guy to quantify his answer, saying this dealership would likely get one Volt in 2011 and three in 2012. Wow! Now that’s a commitment to the environment that a person can sink their teeth into. He also confessed to a $41,000 prices tag, which he offered as a huge barrier to really selling/buying the thing. Unstated message–I’m not interested in selling the Volt, or talking to you about GM’s environmental message. I guess he didn’t get the company’s green public relations memo.

Let’s contrast that with the Toyota Prius. Selling 1 million units since 2000, the U.S. accounts for half of current Prius sales. Well, that puts Chevy only about a a decade behind. Maybe it’s time to stroll back over to my local Toyota dealer.

(Jerry Seiner Chevrolet in Salt Lake City didn’t even return my voicemail regarding the Volt.)

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